was it a 'political' comment then?


--- Stephen Knott <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Don't know if anyone else has seen this but apparently EMBC, which
> Leicestershire are part of (heavily!) are using a VLE for there DiDA
> content. 
> 
> Guess what they're using?!? 
> 
> Moodle!!!
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Virtual Learning Environments [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
> Behalf Of Adele Cushing
> Sent: 19 May 2006 15:34
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [VLES] LEA Advises against Moodle!!??
> 
> Thanks Peter, I remember from my school teaching days that
> Nottinghamshire have an LEA wide email facility also.  I don't know that
> it has been developed as much as the Buckinghamshire site though.  It's
> good to see that the 'Grid for Learning' is still alive and well and
> could perhaps have potential for further development in this area.  
> 
> Adele 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Virtual Learning Environments [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
> Behalf Of Peter Trethewey
> Sent: 19 May 2006 15:17
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: LEA Advises against Moodle!!??
> 
> I don't know how good the take-up is but this looks like a good
> authority wide implementation of Moodle:
> 
> http://www.bucksgfl.org.uk/resources/
> 
> In searching I also came across an interesting string of messages
> concerning Moodle in secondary schools:
> 
> http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=35015
> 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Virtual Learning Environments [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
> Behalf Of Adele Cushing
> Sent: 19 May 2006 14:18
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [VLES] LEA Advises against Moodle!!??
> 
> Are there LEAs out there that are encouraging and providing corporate
> systems for 'bulk buying'?  I raised this matter at the BECTA post 16
> e-learning November event, asking the Head of the DFES when they would
> be providing a generic VLE for educational establishments to use.  The
> issue was skirted around and they did not seem to be forthcoming in
> declaring a concrete solution. Indeed perhaps the variety of programs in
> utilisation for VLE delivery is reflective of the variety of learners
> that exist throughout the educational world.  What suits a primary
> school may not suit secondary etc.
> 
> In areas of the USA School Districts are developing websites for all
> their schools including email for all staff and students and online
> learning sites where work can be downloaded and deposited.  See
> http://www.jefferson.k12.ky.us/
> 
> I'd like to see our leaders doing something similar if they are making
> demands that "all schools should access by 2008"
> 
> Adele
> 
> Adele Cushing
> E-Learning Co-ordinator
> South Nottingham College e-centre
> [log in to unmask]
> 0115 914 6419
> Fax: 0115 914 6444
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Virtual Learning Environments [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
> Behalf Of Walker - Ted
> Sent: 17 May 2006 12:24
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: LEA Advises against Moodle!!??
> 
> I'm glad I raised this can of worms - I think there are a whole host of
> points coming out of it.
> 
> I am happy to share the text of the letter - perhaps that would best be
> done off list. It clearly, as suggested, does come from a DFES roadshow.
> The most relevant paragraph reads: 
> 
> "Current advice from DFES is that schools should not buy a VLE
> individually but that they should bulk buy either through their LA or
> Regional Broadband Consortium. Home grown systems based on 'open source
> software', e.g. Moodle, were not to be preferred as they will not meet
> national requirements, they relied on local expertise and will be
> incompatible with other systems for exchanging information. Also that
> families of schools should use the same VLE to facilitate sharing of
> materials and work on transition projects."
> 
> I understand the issues are somewhere along these lines:
> 
> Total cost of ownership: We do have about 25 hours a week of technician
> support time, but this isn't as a result of using Open Source software,
> it is a web designer who we use for training and development of all
> e-learning and web developments. It is helping us build up a culture of
> innovative use of online teaching and learning, and we would benefit
> from this regardless of brand of learning platform. In fact, the nature
> of Moodle lends itself to much more open and distributed management and
> we can allow teachers and even students to manage courses within it.
> 
> Specific local knowledge: I set up a Moodle installation on my laptop,
> from scratch, in an hour or two as a pilot (including downloading
> software etc.) ICT support were therefore able to install a corporate
> version on a hosted server very quickly. The main issues were opening up
> ports, network speed etc, which are dependent on our relationship with
> our RBC. Our technician, who is now the resident expert, had never heard
> of Moodle when he joined us in December, but the transparency of the
> system makes it straightforward to get on top of.
> 
> Common sign in: We have set up LDAP so that users simply log on with
> their network password. No problems. We are interested in developing
> Shibboleth (which I understand will cross authenticate with other
> platforms - Bodington et al) as well as Moodle, and see that as a
> potential route for sharing resources with the Moodle or 'open source'
> "family of schools", as and when we make suitable relationships. 
> 
> Interoperability: We have not yet managed to link Moodle with SIMS (our
> current MIS). I think there are issues here, and my hope was that BECTA
> would be forcing SIMS to conform to much more transparent standards,
> although I'm not much of an expert. This is my most serious concern.
> 
> Commercial support / future developments: There are commercial
> organisations available to support Moodle and other open source software
> for those who need it. Even if we disbelieve the philosophy that says
> Moodle will continue to be developed and in the public source, why is it
> any more vulnerable to having the plug pulled than Blackboard / WebCT or
> any other commercial incarnation that can only survive whilst there is a
> market (and when the product is discontinued the provider will have no
> interest in providing support)? Any commercial product is likely to have
> upgrades and changes over the development cycle, and it may well be that
> in 5 years time we will have all had to change / upgrade / reengineer
> our platforms anyway. As I understand it Moodle is SCORM compliant and
> pretty transparent.
> 
> 
> I think Moodle is a great product, and was definitely an appropriate
> choice to develop the use of a learning platform and e-learning culture
> within this institution in the current timescale. We went along this
> road because we thought it would be a positive help towards improving
> teaching, learning and the school culture; it just seemed to be a bonus
> as we thought that it was also in line with DFES best practice. It would
> be a shame if the DFES, RBCs and LAs discourage schools from this and
> try to direct us into a corporate project where we feel we have no
> ownership.
> 
> 
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